Ted Ankrum, Democratic Party Candidate for Congressional District 10, congratulates Austin for bringing a Formula 1 auto racing event to the Central Texas area.
"Being an auto racer myself, I fully support this exciting racing event. This World Class auto racing series schedules events around the world. I attended my first Formula 1 race in 1959 at the Avus track in Berlin, Germany and also attended the 1960 race in Monaco and the 2002 race in Melbourne, Australia. This annual event will bring jobs and fans to Austin and the economic impact to the area will be like having the Superbowl in town every year." Ankrum said.
Until 2007, the US event in this race series was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now Austin has stepped up to the plate and this race will again be held in the USA, starting in 2012.
Ankrum is an avid auto enthusiast, running his Nissan GT-R at track events at the Texas World Speedway in College Station, the GrandSport Speedway near Galveston, and most recently, was sponsored by Baker-Jackson Nissan in Cypress at the Texas Mile event at Goliad, Texas in March. "I set the fastest time in my class with a speed of 167.2 MPH and have a certificate to prove it."
Ted with Mr. Brad Baker, general manager of Baker-Jackson Nissan in Cypress, TX prior to the Texas Mile event
Ted running ahead of a Ford GT at the Texas World Speedway in College Station, TX in 2009
Many people in US House District 10 have received fund raising letters from incumbent Republican Michael McCaul. They open with "I've been targeted by the National Democrats for defeat in 2010. First, they recruited an Austin tech millionaire who raised more money than any challenger in the country, over $1 million in cash. Now, they found an attack dog who professes that his one goal is to tear down my record, using the money from the millionaire to fund his initial efforts." The letter goes on to highlight some of his "accomplishments"
(Allright Team Ted. Good to see things are getting up and running in TX-10. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Barely two weeks from the launch of the campaign and we've hit the ground running! This is an impressive feat given the late withdraw of Jack McDonald. Ted is a man who has served his country and yet in retirement is ready to serve his country again.
The grassroots infrastructure from the 2006 campaign became TrueBlue10, a Texas general PAC, and they've continued to work to win back Congressional District 10 from Mike McCaul. This campaign is a force to be reckoned with, but we still need your help. Signup on the website, follow Ted on Facebook, twitter, but more importantly, take out your wallet. Please make a secure online contribution at:
I disagree with those who think this district is not winnable. Regardless of their opinion those who have announced such publicly do a grave disservice to the voters of this district who deserve a candidate who'll represent them, and not the interests of big business and Wall Street. We have that candidate in Ted Ankrum and are excited that he is running. We will take back Congressional District 10.
First, TX-32, formerly held by Martin Frost (D) but lost to Pete Sessions (R) in Tom DeLay's mid-decade redistricting is listed as a Tier 2 "emerging race". Democrat Grier Raggio will be the Democratic nominee in a district that has been trending more Democratic over the past decade but still eluded Dallas County party activists cycle after cycle. Raggio is legitimate candidate and liked by locals so it's great to see the 32nd District make it on the DCCC's list.
The other notable district is TX-10 which is notable for its absence as a targeted race ever since Democrat Jack McDonald withdrew from running last month. Formerly a top target by the DCCC, it appears that Democrat Ted Ankrum will be carrying the party banner in the 10th District without much support from the national committee as expected.
While there are few competitive congressional races for either party thank to redistricting, having a couple dozen targeted GOP seats is a good sign in limiting the overall losses the party is expected have this November.
I never expected to do this. It was so unlikely that I had let the domain name registration tedankrum.com lapse. Of course, it was picked up by a porno site. I did it because Michael McCaul is such a bad Representative he should never be allowed to run unopposed. That was the theme of the radio interview I did on KWHI radio this morning (there is some advantage to having run in '06 and being in people's rolodex's). Now, I'm scrambling to register with the FEC (this came together on the Sunday before filing closed), so that I can get an ACTBlue page. Kernan Hornberg is working on a template for a website. Thank goodness I had not closed the bank account (because I still had campaign debts from 2006)so I was able to write the filing fee check from a Campaign account. Jack McDonald provided a substantial part of the money for that, with some more for the General Election Campaign and Ron Coldiron the rest.
The '06 Campaign put me on record for many things and if one Googles Ted Ankrum, much of that remains. Many of my positions will need to be updated, though. I think the Senate Health Care Plan leaves much to be desired, but if that is what we get; take it for now and fix it later--in particular the part that still keeps health care costs on the backs of our companies. We always seem to be one war behind. We fought Iraq when we should have finished Afganistan when it was easy. The most recent attack came from Yemen, just as we are ramping up in Afganistan. Our President says that Afganistan is not Vietnam or Iraq and I agree with him. It's mired in the time of Alexander the Great and it breaks my heart that our troops are dying to prop up a feudal and corrupt regime. Our fight is with the terrorists, not the Taliban and we ought to concentrate on them where they are--and they aren't in Afganistan. I think there are far too few military veterans, and combat veterans in particular, among our political leaders. If there were more, there might be a different perspective on where and who we choose to fight. Our military leaders fight the wars they are presented with. Our political leaders are the ones that do the picking. There is more to discuss on Cap and Trade and Financial Regulation but I'll save all that for the future.
I got an artificial shoulder last January (the VA now rates me as 100% disabled) and I'm scheduled for an artificial knee on Feb 2. It wasn't an IED that got me in Vietnam, it was an East German anti-tank mine; but the effect is the same. One doesn't let these availabilites slip, so I'll be good for nothing the first week of February. I told you I never expected to do this run.
I can't promise you that I'll win, but I will promise you to show just how bad a Representative Mike McCaul is. He ignored me in the '06 race and that let me knock 10% off his expected results. Ever since, he's looked vulnerable and attracted stronger opposition than I could give him. He really should have smacked me down in '06 and scared away any thought of opposing him. We'll see what happens this time.
By all means support our Statewide Candidates as much as you can. That's really important. But if you have anything left over, I could use the help; no matter how small.
Ted Ankrum Congressional Committee 2010, 13707 Via Siena Ct., Cypress, TX 77429
It looks like in the final day to fill the vacancy, another McCaul challenger has decided to run.
Multiple sources have indicated Ted Ankrum will file tomorrow to run against Republican Michael McCaul. Ankrum ran in 2006 and kept McCaul to just 55.28% of the vote but only garnered 40.4% of the vote himself. He spent less than $75,000 total in his race but gains have been minimal over the last 4 years.
For Ankrum to be successful, he will have to spend the bulk of his time in Harris County, stress his military service, let the Travis County Democratic Party and Austin area activist do the heavy lifting in the north part of the district, and get a committed group of surrogates in the 10th Congressional District and beyond to begin a massive fundraising operation.
Needless to say, with the shortened window, Ankrum will have an uphill battle. The district continues to be tough pre-redistricting, but it is good to see a Democrat step up to the challenge.
After the 2006 election, I received many requests to post the ways I had run my campaign for TX-10, because I had received nearly 42% of the vote in this Tom Delay-gerrymandered 65% Republican District while spending only $65,000. I stated at the time that the Campaign had an impact much greater than the money spent because there was so much volunteer support. But, we did do a lot of things that maximized candidate-to-voter contact. This effort cost very little and some (me in particular) would say that it has a disporportionate impact on voters. I did not take the suggestions to post my methods because the opposition reads these things, as well. I determined to give this help directly to future TX-10 candidates, if they were interested. Larry Joe Doherty wasn't interested.
Jack McDonald recently spent a little time at my house and I gave him some of my thoughts. I told him that TX-10 was possible to win, but it would require a candidate to do all the things I was able to do, PLUS the things a candidate with money could do. It was hard to tell what Larry Joe did from my place in Houston, because he was largely invisible, here. I knew I should have spent much more time in Harris County during the campaign, but I couldn't because I was raising most of the money I did raise in Travis. Jack understands that he must concentrate his efforts in Harris for the General election. I think that my "success" in TX-10 in 2006 has made it possible for both Larry Joe and Jack to do so well in fund raising. In 2006, TX-10 was a "no hope" District. That's not true, now, and it makes donors much more willing. Both Larry Joe and Jack have been able to raise money outside the District. I am looking forward to working closely with Jack to help him win in 2010.
The topic of the day is KBH's feint at resignation. I think this has a very interesting possibility for TX-10, if it happens before filing in Jan. Presume a KBH resignation. Perry's appointment opens up the Lt. Gov. slot. Our Attorney General files for Lt. Gov. McCaul decides to file for Attorney General. It's a good move for McCaul. He has a good chance of winning. It's a much better job. He gets to live at home. If this happens, there will be a big expensive Repub battle for the nomination. It'll probably go to someone from Harris who is very, very conservative. That candidate will not get as many votes in Travis as McCaul. In this case, what I call the "Austin Kool-aid" might actually work. Larry Joe fell victim to the story that a Dem could do well enough in Travis that the Repub vote in Harris could be offset. I never believed this, and Jack says he doesn't either. But if an ultraconservative from Harris is the Repub nominee, it might be true. In any event, it will reduce the needed Dem vote in Harris to a more easily achievable number in an off-year.
Ankrum: "Dan Grant is the only Democrat in the race who can beat Mike McCaul"
Ted Ankrum, the retired Navy officer, diplomat, and NASA administrator who earned the 2006 Democratic nomination in Texas' 10th Congressional District, today threw his support behind foreign policy expert Dan Grant's candidacy for a fresh start in a new direction, saying that Grant's experience in Iraq and other global trouble spots will help him lead the fight to bring U.S. troops home and shore up the economies of communities across Central Texas.
"Dan is the only Democrat in the race who can beat Mike McCaul," Ankrum said. "He is uniquely qualified to redirect the tax dollars being squandered in Baghdad to our own communities in Brenham, Bastrop, and beyond. Simply put, he is the right choice for all of us in this year that promises dramatic change."
There will be a primary in the 10th Congressional District.
Yesterday we announced Dan Grant's entry into the race. Today, Larry Joe Doherty has filed the necessary paperwork to force a democratic primary.
LJD, as we will likely refer to him, is not at the same level as Grant or Ankrum. He is an actor, poet, singer, attorney, husband, father, outdoorsman, wildlife advocate, and classic car. At least that is what his bio says.
If you contact LJD, you can talk to him about public speaking, voice over work, merchandise, or other items of interest. If you need to talk to him about his campaign, I would suggest either public speaking or other.
In either case, Houston, Austin, and everywhere in between, get ready for a primary (kind of).
I'm covering two topics in this diary, because there is big news - Ted Ankrum has been endorsed by General Wesley Clark! I'm going to paste the official press release below, but this is very impressive to me - that a fromer serious contender for the White House has taken notice of this race. I've said a thousand times that this seat is one we can take away from the Republicans, and for someone like General Clark to take the time to endorse in this race shows that I'm not alone in thinking so.
I'm also continuing my presentation of Mr. Ankrum's views, with his paper on corruption. In this entry, he talks about the culture of cronyism that has developed in this administration. Given his history of standing up to people like Tom DeLay, shown in videos linked in this diary, http://www.dailykos.com/... I trust him to stand up to the corruption we see in Washington right now.
